Product Description

Despite his alleged capture in Pakistan in late 2005, Abu Mus'ab al-Suri, a Syrian originally known as Mustafa Sethmarian Nasar, remains a potent political and ideological figure. One of the foremost theoreticians of the global jihadist movement, al-Suri trained a generation of young jihadis at al-Qaeda's Afghan camps and helped to establish the organization's vast European networks. Having gained extensive military experience fighting in the Syrian Islamist insurgency of the early 1980s, he helped to shape al-Qaeda's global strategy in a series of writings, including his influential Global Islamic Call. In that 1,600 page book, al-Suri outlined a broad strategy for al-Qaeda's younger generation to follow and described practical ways to implement the theories and tactics of jihadi guerrilla warfare.

Architect of Global Jihad is a biography of this powerful, charismatic, and prophetic individual. Examining not only the life of Al-Suri but also the world that gave rise to him, Brynjar Lia reveals al-Suri's skill for maximizing the political impact of jihadi violence. Lia provides the first and only English translation of two key chapters from al-Suri's Global Islamic Call and exposes his methods for building successful, autonomous cells for "individualized terrorism." Al-Suri's words have inspired thousands of today's militants, making Lia's carefully researched, detailed portrait required reading for students and specialists of Islamist movements and the study of contemporary forms of terrorism.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #483417 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-15
• Released on: 2009-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review

"Brynjar Lia's book is an innovative, well-sourced, and thorough account of the life and work of Abu Mus'ab al-Suri. Lia's book digs behind the myths and public speculation around al-Suri and gives a comprehensive picture of the man and his works. It is crucial to an understanding of international jihadi ideology and needs to be widely studied." -- Jeevan Deol, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

"Brynjar Lia's masterfully-researched work remains the only known contribution to the terrorism studies field that parses the history and thought of al-Suri, a formidable ideologue by virtue of his pragmatism, rational approach to history, and realistic, 'egalitarian' view of the future of jihad. Far beyond its utility as an historical analysis, Lia's work is extraordinarily timely as he extracts the finer points of al-Suri's now widely-circulated theories that may have informed the conduct of the London and Madrid attacks." -- Jeffrey Cozzens, Intelligence and Terrorism Analysis Group at Applied Marine Technology, Inc.

"A genuinely important and path-breaking book." -- Peter Hart, Globe & Mail

"An authoritative volume on a man who is possibly the most important jihadi theoretician alive." -- Steven Brooke, The American Interest

"Illuminating." -- Ahmed Rashid, New York Review of Books

"A fascinating study." -- Malise Ruthven, New York Review of Books

"A brilliant, well-researched work." -- Lester W. Grau, The Journal of Military History

"Lia's book should be essential reading." -- Marisa Urgo, Political Studies Review

Review

"Brynjar Lia has written an impressively authoritative biography of one of contemporary jihad's most important and influential thinkers. In Architect of Global Jihad, Lia charts the rise and consequences of Abu Mus'ab al-Suri's prominence in al-Qaeda and how his worldview continues to shape and define the movement's strategy and tactics. This work is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand al-Qaeda's violent struggle and its likely future trajectory." -- Bruce Hoffman, professor, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, and senior fellow, Combating Terrorism Center, U.S. Military Academy

About the Author

Brynjar Lia is a research professor at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI). A former Visiting Fulbright Scholar at Harvard University, he is the author of several books on Islamism and terrorism.

Customer Reviews

Key insights
Required reading for anyone wanting to better understand the past organizations and efforts of the jihadists and an insight into possible future organizational structure for the terrorist networks. The translations of key sections of the "Global Islamic Resistance Call" of Al-Suri's 1,600 page book shows his well thought out, objective case for his idea of a global Islamic resistance design, or for that matter anyone wishing to cause chaos in today's world. You have to understand the enemy to defeat him because a leaderless resistance would be one of the longest, hardest battle this nation, or any others confronted with this threat, will have to fight. A fight that will take an unfailing determination and focus. A fight of generations to discredit the jihadist propaganda and let the true voices of the areas afflicted with this disease to be heard.

Must read
In a fascinating tale of a fascinating individual this book delves deep into the soul of the Jihadist, learning about him, showing us his seminal work, which was 1,600 pages, and shedding lihgt on the man who theorized the global Jihad that threatens so many people today. This was not the Marx of Islamism or the Lenin. This was the Trotsky, the man who understood 'War Islamism' and how individualized Islamic cells of only a few men could spread havoc and take the war to the enemy on ground of the Islamists own choosing. Although Abu Mus'ab al-Suri, whose middle name was Sethmarriam, was not a latter day Sun Tzu or Clauswitz, her might have been. Alleged to have been killed in the snowy hills of the Pashtun, his wareabouts are actually unknown.

A fascinating book about Islamist history, about the birth and making of the Islamist and the strategy of Islamism. He was truly an architect of the international terrorist revolution.

Seth J. Frantzman

Blueprint of a Terrorist Organization
A well-written, finely researched book on a critical but otherwise unnoticed player in international terrorism. What is most interesting is Al-Suri's diverse history of terror cell membership and the resulting network of international links he maintained. This book is more than a biography. By reviewing Al-Suri's life, from his ideology, travel and marital choice, the book outlines a blueprint of "serious" terrorists that has been closely mirrored by many other hardcore jihadists in Al-Qa'ida and other groups. Most interesting is Al-Suri's shift from gun-toting combatant to ideological propagandist and his lasting influences. Though Bin Laden is "the face" of modern terrorism, this book leads the reader to question if the most dangerous players have yet to be identified.